


An Exercise in Memory

by captainjamba



Category: The Dragon Prince
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, OR IS HE, PWP, Rayllum, Sexual Content, Smut, callum is illiterate in high elven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:41:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26543092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainjamba/pseuds/captainjamba
Summary: Callum struggles with learning High Elven, but his memory is perfect - and that's exactly what he intends to prove to Rayla.
Relationships: Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 36
Kudos: 109





	1. A Point to Prove

**Author's Note:**

> I originally had an idea for this fic back in June, and I wanted to finish it in time for the Rayllum Birthday Bash last July. But alas, it took me over three months to complete.
> 
> Hope ya'll like it!

If there was anything Callum could be proud of, it was his memory.

Sure, he still struggled with riding a Moonstrider or swinging a heavy sword, but he could take one look at a scene and draw it without having to ever look up. He could draw all day from memory alone – evident in all the times he had watched Rayla train and then drawn her in a myriad of poses until the sun went down.

It was also what allowed him to learn spells quickly, only needing to see the runes once and then recreating them perfectly. In fact, Callum knew all the runes for about fifty different spells that he could cast at any given time. Ibis once grumbled, during one of their lessons, that it was unfair that Callum could learn them in such a short amount of time, whereas he had spent _years_ memorizing them.

Which made it all the more frustrating for Callum to learn the runes of High Elven.

He was, unfortunately, still painfully illiterate in it. Still, he wanted to at least try understanding Xadian text. Someone in the High Council had to learn, or else messages from the Dragon Queen would go unread.

Well, someone besides Rayla, anyway.

Between the two of them, it was Rayla who had mastery over both the human and Xadian writing.

She was a quick learner; highly motivated and very intuitive. In fact, he was the one who had taught her the human alphabet, which was far easier to learn than the convoluted syllabic style of Xadia, and now she could write as if she’d been using it all her life.

Callum, on the other hand...

It'd been a month since he’d started learning how to write in Xadia’s written language, under Rayla’s tutelage.

The base runes were simple enough. Visually, they looked like what they represented – like the symbols of the primal sources, for example. There were swirls for wind and sky, waves for water and the ocean, and jagged peaks for mountains and the earth.

But it only got trickier from there.

There were names of plants and creatures he never knew even existed. There were words that were a variation of the base runes. There were even characters that were a combination of two or more symbols clumped into one.

Some looked exactly the same, and Callum had to actually squint to catch an extra dot or stroke here and there.

Others actually were the same character, except they changed depending on the context. And then there were those that had no direct translation at all.

He had asked Lujanne about it once, at the Moon Nexus, where there were entire stone slabs of glowing runes.

Elven culture, she'd explained, placed great importance to literacy. It allowed access to the history written on those very same stone slabs, which is why every race of elves had each had its own writing system. Earthblood elves even had entire written dialects of their own.

Then, sometime after the humans were expelled from Xadia, the elves decided to standardize their written language into a single literary style that was uniform across all Xadian races. It evolved over time, and each culture developed its own nuances, giving birth to the complex writing system it was today.

He loved his memory – he rarely forgot something once he understood it – but there _were_ limits. Recalling what the runes looked like was one thing. Actually remembering what they meant was another altogether.

He had written ‘kinky’ about six times now. Mostly accidental, of course. 

And that’s how he found himself sitting in his office in Katolis one spring afternoon, struggling to write a coherent letter to Ibis.

Bright sunlight streamed through the large window behind him. Before him, parchments and quills and charcoal were strewn about on his desk. The annual Peace Ball was coming up. Katolis was hosting this year, and Callum was tasked with sending out letters of invitation.

He drummed his fingers on the table, hunting for the right characters in his brain. To his credit, a plethora of symbols cycled through his mind like a carousel, his visual memory supplying him with the characters, but, infuriatingly, not their corresponding meanings.

He clicked his tongue. This was proving a lot harder than he thought. He was about to throw his hands up in defeat when the door cracked open and a lithe figure slipped inside.

The door clicked shut, and Rayla pressed her ear to the door, listening for something on the other side. Callum shifted his attention away from the maddening task of writing in Xadian, indulging in a rare distraction.

She had swapped out her Moonshadow assassin gear in favor of a dark teal vest, which she wore over a loose button up shirt of a lighter hue, topped with her signature moon-shaped belt buckle. She still wore her teal tights and dark blue thigh-high boots, claiming that they let her move freely and more comfortably than any dress Opeli could pick out for her.

She had her silver hair pulled into a messy bun too, which probably meant that she’d made a quick getaway.

A silent minute passed, then two, and stretched out to three.

Finally satisfied that she wasn’t followed, she relaxed visibly. She made his way to him and plopped down onto his lap without saying a word, swinging her legs over the side to rest perpendicularly on his thigh. He slung an arm around her shoulders and greeted her with a quick kiss to her forehead, right where hair met skin. She buried her face into the crook of his shoulder as he stroked her hair.

“Hiding from Opeli again?”

“No…” she said, her voice a little muffled, and then snuggled a little closer to him. “Okay, yes, maybe I am.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just needed a break. I love her like a sister but it’s just… it can get a little hard to keep up with her sometimes,” she sighed.

“She _can_ get a little over-passionate about council matters.” Callum nodded in understanding.

Rayla gave him a weak smile. “Well, I’ve already finished my work today, so I was hoping to hide away for a bit?”

“Sure. She’s found you every time though.”

When Rayla raised her head to glare at him, he threw his hands up in mock surrender.

“It’s unbelievable. She found me in the kitchens, in the Crow Lord’s tower, and in the library. She even found me down at the stables!”

Callum laughed. He remembered when his dad used to ask Opeli to look for him and Ez when they were off hiding. Somehow she always tracked them down, until he and Ez made it their mission to explore every lonely corner of the castle. And once they knew all the secret hiding spots, she never found them again. Then again, neither had they tried to hide from her again either.

“Probably because Corvus has been giving her tracking lessons,” he reminded her. “It comes with having an expert tracker as a boyfriend.”

She sighed. “Still. I’m losing my touch.”

“No, you aren’t.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead to reassure her, and they were content to stay in comfortable silence for a few minutes. He was stroking her hair absently, playing with her silver locks soothingly, when he broke the silence.

“Not that I don’t enjoy having beautiful elves in my lap in the middle of the day,” he said, gesturing to their entangled form. “But isn’t this the first place Opeli will look for you?”

“Oh, I’m counting on it,” Rayla said with a knowing smile.

Callum’s eyebrows knitted together, trying to make sense of her intentions.

“She has Corvus, I have you,” she said simply, as if it was plain as day.

It took him a few seconds to put the pieces together. “Ah. So you want me to cover for you?”

“Bingo,” she beamed.

“I’d be harboring a fugitive.”

“Yes, but if you let me hide here,” Rayla said, and Callum watched her walk two fingers up his arm, “I’ll be your secretary for a day.”

“And that’s bribery.”

“So it is,” she grinned.

Callum summoned what little acting skills he had to fight down a smile. “I should really get back to writing this letter.”

“My pride’s on the line here, mage boy. What do you say?”

“Three days,” he said, but a conspiratorial grin tugged at corners of his mouth. “Be my secretary for three days and I’ll do it.”

“Deal,” she agreed, sealing it with a quick kiss before he could back out.

“First order of business: help me write a letter to Ibis.” Callum repositioned her in his lap so that she was facing the desk, and then slid the letter over to her. “Well actually, I already wrote one, but I’m not sure if I got everything correctly.”

She held it up and scanned it wordlessly, her eyes moving side to side as she read.

“Hmm…it’s not bad, all things considered,” she said when she finished reading. “But I don’t know how I feel about you wanting to kiss Ibis.”

“Huh?”

She smoothed the paper on the surface of the desk. Using a piece of charcoal, she pointed at the character in question.

“I meant ‘write’. I’ve been meaning to write to him,” he said blandly.

“This means ‘to write’,” she explained as she drew a symbol beside the one he wrote, then used the charcoal to point to his. “ _This_ means ‘to kiss’. I can just imagine Ibis’ face when he reads this.”

Her tone was teasing, but it was the image of Ibis that made Callum chuckle. “Mmm…can’t have that. These lips already belong another elf.”

Rayla drew another character.

“This means that you’re excited. _That_ – “ she pointed to what he had written. “–means you’re horny,” she giggled.

“You’re kidding,” he said, his eyes wide.

She shook her head ruefully. “And _this_ –”

“Okay, okay. I get it, I suck at this,” he grumbled and slumped in his chair.

Her smile turned sympathetic as she placed her hand over his. “No, you don’t. There are about five hundred runes and thousands of combinations. You’re doing fine.”

“Yeah. I guess,” he sighed.

She cupped his face, her thumb caressing his cheek. “Callum, you have a beautiful mind, and your memory is incredible, but you still need time to memorize every rune there is, okay? No one expects you to get it right away.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled, leaning into her touch. He closed his eyes for a second and breathed in deeply, then gave her a weak smile. “Can you blame me, though? It’s hard to concentrate having a beautiful elf for a teacher.”

She cocked a silver eyebrow.

“I mean, have you _seen_ Ibis?” Callum shrugged. “Oh, and you’re not so bad either.”

That earned him a laugh, a beautiful sound that took some of his frustrations away. “Oh? You’re saying it’s my fault that you haven’t learned Xadian? Because I’m distracting you?”

“Absolutely.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am.”

“’I didn’t even do anything,” she shot back.

“You sat in my lap!”

She rolled her eyes. “I do that all the time.”

“Ah, so you admit to intentionally distracting me?”

Rayla scowled. “No.”

“And yet here you are, seducing me when I should really be studying,” he said matter-of-factly.

Her eyebrows lifted. “I…what?”

“Touching my hand, caressing my face, biting your lip. You know, seducing me.”

“You’re ridiculous,” she said, shaking her head as she stood, though he saw a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. She took one end of his red scarf and started to circle him as she unwound it from his neck. Now free of his scarf, he felt her slide two hands down his chest from behind him.

Her mouth grazed his ear; her voice, low and sultry as she pressed her lips to his skin. “If I really _was_ seducing you, you wouldn’t even stand a chance.”

Callum couldn’t help the shudder that went through him. The truth was that it took Rayla very little effort to allure him with her feminine charms. She was confident and beautiful and sexy. She could have just roused from her sleep, with tousled hair and wearing nothing but one of his old shirts, and he would have still been jelly in her hands.

But he wasn’t about to admit that. Even if they both knew it.

She finished circling him and he couldn’t help but notice the sway in her hips. She hooked one finger underneath his chin and lifted it. Bending at the waist, she leaned in slowly and drew closer, closer, and closer to his lips... and then veered away at the last second to land on the corner of his mouth instead. He grunted, but the kisses she peppered along his cheek did little to appease him.

“Now, is this what you meant by distracting?”

Rayla then placed a knee on either side of him, straddling Callum as he remained slumped in his seat. She settled her weight in has lap once more. He made a conscious effort to keep his arms on the armrests as she combed through his unruly hair and swept away a few loose strands from his face.

“I think the word I used was ‘seducing’, but yeah, this definitely counts.”

She looped her arms around his neck, crossing her wrists together and resting her elbows on his shoulders . Their position forced him to look up at her, and she trapped him with those mischievous lilac eyes of hers.

“That’s too bad,” Rayla said, leaning in. “I thought you liked these kinds of distractions.”

She accentuated her point with a quick press of her hips on the conspicuous bulge that was already growing in his pants. He stifled a groan.

“Oh, I do. But I still have about a hundred letters to send out,” he shrugged, watching Rayla’s hand deftly undo the first two buttons of his shirt, exposing his upper chest. “Deadlines and all.”

“Surely a little break won’t hurt?” She drew closer still. Her breath was warm on his cheek; her lips slightly parted. “Unless…”

His ears perked up at that. “Unless?”

“Unless I gave you too much credit,” she murmured.

His eyes narrowed. “You did?”

“Maybe your memory’s not as incredible as I thought, if it can’t handle a little distraction.”

“Wait, didn’t you just-“

“Then again, your mouth never seems to have any trouble writing runes when you eat me out.”

He couldn’t argue with her there – he’d become shamelessly fond of drawing runes with his tongue while between her legs. Drawing _fulminis,_ in particular, had become his favorite, because he could activate it very, very mildly afterwards – a tiny zap just to keep her on her toes. Perhaps she would have been furious with him, except she had loved it every time.

An image flashed in his traitorous mind now – Rayla spread out on his table, naked and wanting, moaning his name. She met his heated gaze expectantly, twin pools of lavender growing more heated with each passing second. The mischief practically twinkled in her eyes and the challenge was clear in her voice. He knew what she was doing, just daring him to say no while dangling her beautifully pink lips mere inches from his.

Growling, he finally sat upright, stretching his long frame to meet her at eye level. “True, but I doubt you want Opeli to find you bent over my desk and screaming my name.”

He couldn’t help but smirk when Rayla blinked at him, her flirtatious demeanor faltering at the crudity of his words. Her cheeks colored prettily as the image formed in her head, but she quickly regained her composure.

She inched closer, her voice softening to a whisper. “Oh? Confident, are we?”

“I am, when my memory’s is being questioned.”

Her lips tilted upwards. “Prove it.”

He closed what little distance was between them in an instant, slamming his mouth to hers again. As soon as their lips met, a rush went through him, like it did during the thrilling moment of free fall before he spread his wings in flight. She smiled against his lips, and then squeaked when he picked her up and deposited her onto the desk. Scrolls and charcoal haphazardly tumbled to the floor, but neither of them took notice.

He was on her again in a heartbeat. He cupped her face with one hand, pulling her down as he kissed her with fervent intensity, coaxing her tongue into his mouth, rolling his tongue against hers. He weaved a hand in her silky hair to deepen the kiss. Her taste, heady and sweet, flooded his mouth, filling his mind until he could think of nothing but her. Soon she was struggling to keep up and only when she was breathless did he finally pull away.

“I don’t know all the runes yet but I do know every inch of your body.”

A shudder went through her when Callum took her earlobe into his mouth before giving her pointed ear a long lick along the shell. He trailed kisses down to her neck, where he sucked on her pulse point, drawing a soft gasp from his lover. He unclasped her belt and peeled off her vest. He pushed her shirt open, but didn’t bother removing it, allowing him to kiss his way down the newly exposed skin.

“I know all your calluses and all your scars.” 

His mouth kissed a rogue scar on her shoulder and brushed his thumb over another scar on her opposite hip. She cupped his face with a four-fingered hand, the same hand that she had almost lost to a stupid Moonshadow binding. Covering her hand with his, he leaned into her touch. Callum let his eyes drift closed, quiet for a moment. It was a brief and unspoken expression, but he knew she understood – he couldn’t bear to lose her. Or any part of her.

Then he took her hand and kissed the backs of her fingers, then her callused palm, before pressing tender kisses to the faint outline that remained her wrist.

“I know every sensitive spot.”

Callum kissed down the valley between her breasts then let his mouth close over one hardened nipple. He gave it a hard suck and Rayla gasped. Her hand tangled in his hair, the other bracing her on the table as he ran tight little circles around the tightened peak with his tongue.

Encouraged by the soft mewls coming from her, he cupped her other breast. Rayla arched into his touch, trying to get more of her into his mouth. He tugged a hard bud between his teeth and rolled the other between his fingers. He released her nipple with another hard suck then showered kisses on her abdomen, nipping randomly as he made his way down to the juncture of her legs.

He pulled off her knee-high boots one after the other, then gripped the waistband of her teal tights. Rayla eagerly lifted her hips, allowing him to slide them down her long legs. She sat on his desk, now clad in only her underwear and her button up shirt. He kissed the inside of her thighs, and briefly admired how incredibly soft her skin was before giving way to hard muscle.

When he ran a single finger over her clothed sex, pressing into her growing dampness, her eyes drifted closed. He quickly replaced his finger with his mouth, teasing little sighs of pleasure out of her as he traced her pussy with his tongue against the flimsy material of her panties. He tugged them aside, letting his mouth hover just above her pulsing center.

“I know each nook and every cranny.”

She gasped when his tongue finally touched her directly, and then she exhaled with a moan when he licked up her seam, drawing out her moisture. He gave a pointed flick to her clit, making her hips buck up towards him before he started from the base all over again. Again and again he repeated his teasing, adding a little more pressure with each long swipe of his tongue but never staying where she wanted him most.

Finally, firmly keeping her legs spread, Callum parted her folds with his tongue. He swirled it inside of her, exploring every part of her he could reach. Her taste spread on his tongue, as musky as it was inebriating. He slowly slid his middle finger into her. Her muscles immediately clamped down, pulling him in until he was buried to the knuckle.

He groaned at how tight she was, marveled at the incredible heat wrapping around his finger. He gave her clit a suck, a quick reminder that his mouth was still very much attached to her.

“Rayla, I know your body better than you know it yourself.”

He flattened his tongue and slowly swept it against her clit. Again and again he did it, speeding up, building rhythm until she was moaning beneath him with every stroke. And when he pushed a second finger inside her, her pussy coiled and uncoiled anew around his long fingers as he slid them inside her in expert motions.

He angled his fingers to reach a particular spot deep inside her. He knew she loved it deep, and the shuddering moan that escaped her only confirmed it. The sweep of his tongue changed to quick flits on her sensitive bundle of nerves. Her hands flew to his hair, and her grip only tightened with every stroke and every press of his fingers. She continued to moan breathlessly in time with his thrusting fingers, but her pleas only encouraged him.

“Sources…Callum..!”

Rayla squeezed her eyes shut. Her breathing became uneven. She used both hands to pull him all the more closely to her pulsating center as she teetered at the edge of climax. But she didn’t need to - he already recognized the telltale signs of her impending orgasm and just couldn’t get enough of her.

Callum doubled his efforts, his mouth and fingers working in perfect synchrony now. His fingers sped. His tongue, more insistent. Her legs began to tremble with each sweep of his tongue and pull of his lips. Her arm gave out and she fell back onto the desk, lost in the overwhelming pleasure, unable to hold on any longer.

“Come for me,” he commanded, his voice coarse and gravelly against her wet flesh.

Rayla had no choice but to obey. She came with a shuddering moan, her fingers in his hair, his name on her lips. Her walls pulsed almost painfully tight around his fingers as a powerful orgasm wracked through her whole body. Her body started to shake, her abdomen rippling and flexing as her sex contracted rhythmically.

Her chest heaved with every lungful of air she gulped down. Her skin was flushed. Her fluids seeped from her core, coating his hand and chin, but he didn’t care. He felt his cock strain against his pants at the sight of her, but he paid it no mind, intent on bringing her to the heights of pleasure and keeping her there. Callum just loved watching her come completely undone.

And as his fingers slowed in the aftershocks of her release, he found himself panting too. He pressed little kisses up her body and whispered dirty encouragements against her sweat-slicked skin as he waited patiently for her to recover from bliss.

He was murmuring sweet-nothings against her pointed ear when Rayla’s breathing finally returned to normal. She raised her head, the rest of her body apparently still limbless. Bending over her, he dipped his head to kiss her lazily.

“Mmm… I take it back. I guess your memory is actually good for something,” she said when they pulled apart, her voice breathy and hoarse.

He chuckled. “Glad we cleared that up.”

“Well aren’t you pleased with yourself?” Rayla purred, finally finding the strength to sit up. “Why is it that I’m already half naked and you’re still fully clothed?”

“Well, it _is_ my office–“

He laughed as she grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him down for another kiss. Then she fumbled with his belt.

“The door isn’t locked,” he grinned against her lips.

She unbuttoned his long-sleeved shirt and all but tore the offending garment off of him. “Don’t care…”

“Anybody could walk in.”

“Nobody comes during this time of the day.” Rayla hopped of the desk. “Ez has everyone preparing for the ball.”

“Someone might hear,” he said in between kisses.

“Then we won’t be any louder than just now, _now will we_?” Rayla said impatiently, before she grasped his hard length through his pants.

That effectively put a stop to his half-hearted protests, not that he was really going to argue with his clearly aroused girlfriend. He gasped when she rubbed him, with the fabric of his pants providing additional friction. She promptly latched onto his neck and suckled at his pulse point, nipping at it for good measure.

Rayla dropped onto her knees, pulling down his breeches with her. His cock sprang free, already hard and erect. She kissed the crown, before moving her head to the side, sliding his shaft between her lips. She began to run her tongue along the sensitive underside of his shaft slowly, before repeating the sliding motion on the other side of his length. She repeated this several times, making sure to taste every inch of his cock.

Then she grasped him, her slender fingers barely managing to wrap around his girth completely. His cock was already slick and she pumped him easily. Rayla then took the head of his cock into her hot mouth, her tongue swirling around it teasingly. But she pulled off of him as suddenly as she had come, leaving only her hand to pump him at an agonizingly slow pace.

“Since when were you a tease…” he ground out.

“Since you showed me just how you like it,” she replied casually, as if she was just talking about the weather. She stuck her tongue out and tapped his member on it several times, an erotic display that had him throbbing in her hand. “And trust me, I’m a quick learner.”

Callum couldn’t deny that. While it was true that he _had_ taught Rayla the basics of fellatio, she had taken it to a completely different level, especially when she was motivated. In fact, he had woken up with his cock in her mouth on more than one occasion. She already had him convinced that she knew him like she knew the back of her hand. He had coached her how to take all of him and now it was proving to be his undoing.

He couldn’t wait.

Finally, she pushed her lips down to the base. It was a snug fit and the warmth of her mouth was incredible. Their eyes locked while she still had him in her mouth, and with one look she told him exactly what she wanted to say.

_Mine._

Callum groaned as she pulled off of him just as slowly, only to take him back into her mouth again, repeating until she established a rhythm as she bobbed her head enthusiastically. He gathered her hair into one hand as she continued to suck him mercilessly.

“Rayla, fuck that’s – ah!– hot.”

Her mouth otherwise preoccupied, she merely hummed in response. Without warning, her hand encircled him at the base, pumping as she sucked hard at just the sensitive head. Groaning again, Callum felt the first sparks of pleasure shooting up his spine, quickly losing himself in the exquisite suction of her sinfully skilled mouth.

A knock then came at the door, which he barely heard and promptly ignored. But the knock came again, louder and more insistent this time. It was Rayla who reluctantly pulled away, releasing his cock with one final suck. Callum glared at the door, silently praying for whoever it was to go away.

“Prince Callum?” A woman’s voice carried through the door.

“Hold on a sec!”

Callum snatched his shirt from the floor and started buttoning it up, and then hastily re-wrapped his scarf to hide the reddening marks on his neck. He was about to pull his pants back up when Rayla caught his wrist and shoved him back into the chair. He shot her a questioning look.

She brought a finger up to her lips, before her lips curved into a mischievous smile. She kneeled under the desk, just barely out of sight from the doorway. Mirth glinted in her amethyst eyes as she caught his gaze and it finally dawned on him what she intended to do.

 _Are you sure?_ he mouthed.

She simply pressed a kiss to the tip of his cock. He found his own lips being pulled into a conspiratorial smirk. He smoothed his mussed hair as best as he could before settling into his chair. “Come in.”

Opeli appeared behind the door. “I’m sorry to interrupt–“

He made a show of looking up from a piece of paper, charcoal in hand, as if he had actually been interrupted in the middle of something. Opeli looked around the room. Her eyebrows rose, then furrowed.

“My apologies, Prince Callum. I was under the impression that Lady Rayla was with you.”

He felt the elf in question smile against his cock at the mention of her name. But it was only for a second, because in the next she started swirling her tongue around the tip of his cock.

“No, she’s not.” Callum almost bucked his hips when Rayla gave a hard suck as he was talking. “Ah-! I mean she was, but she’s attending to other matters.”

“I see. Perhaps the guards missed her leaving.”

“Perhaps,” he said noncommittally, trying to sound as casual as possible. “Maybe I can pass along a message for you?”

Opeli approached him, and for the briefest of moments he feared that she would see Rayla’s horns or their clothes on the floor. Luckily, she stopped in the middle of the room. Callum hoped his relief didn’t show. A few more steps and there would have been no denying exactly what they were doing right in front of the High Cleric. Rayla teased the sensitive rim of the head of his cock, and he tried to distract himself by writing a few runes on the nearest parchment.

“Yes, if you don’t mind. If you see her, please tell her that the annual peace ball is coming up…”

He forced his expression to stay neutral as Rayla’s mouth closed over the head of his cock.

“…and it would be best if she were to wear a dress this year…”

Rayla took the rest of his length into her mouth until the tip hit the back of her throat, and then kept going. Callum shut his eyes and paused in his “writing”.

“…we can have the royal seamstress take her measurements tomorrow morning…”

Rayla started bobbing her head up and down, shaping him with her lips again and again. He bit back a grunt that came out as a choked cough.

“…so that there will be time for adjustments…”

Rayla pumped him in her hand as she sucked the head of his cock under the table, her tongue sliding and her mouth following around his girth in a way that forced the air from his lungs.

“…and be ready by the ball,” Opeli finished, and Callum found himself praying for her leave.

“I’ll make sure she gets the message,” he said between gritted teeth.

“Thank you,” Opeli said. She turned to leave, much to his relief, but hesitated at the doorway.

“Oh, and Prince Callum,” she began, half turning back to him, and for a second he was worried Opeli had noticed after all. “I know it isn’t my place to say, but it is normal for couples to fight.”

She gestured to the scrolls and charcoal that littered the floor. Callum swore mentally. He had completely forgotten about them. Fortunately, their clothes were hidden just out of Opeli’s line of sight. He nodded mutely in response, not quite trusting his voice at the moment.

“Just make sure to kiss and make up before you go to bed,” she winked before sweeping out of the room, the door clicking shut behind her.

Callum let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He threaded his fingers in Rayla’s silver hair, fighting back the overwhelming pleasure from her lips and suction of her mouth, even as she continued her onslaught.

“That was risky, troublemaker. I almost lost it mid-sentence,” he drawled.

She trapped him with her amethyst gaze, and, making sure he was watching her, she pushed her mouth down on his length again, the tips of her Moonshadow markings on her cheeks distorting as her cheeks hollowed. Rayla bobbed her head a few more times before letting his cock slip free from her mouth.

“You liked it,” she purred. His manhood was still wet from her mouth as she continued to pump him in her hand.

“I loved it,” he hummed in agreement. He helped her to her feet as she stepped out of her panties. She shrugged off her top as he threw off the last of his clothes, then quickly pulled her into his lap. “And I love you. But that doesn’t mean I won’t retaliate.”

“I love you, too.” Rayla gave him a cheeky little smile. “You started this, though.”

Callum opened his mouth to argue, but she reached down between them and grasped his hard length. She flattened it against his stomach and began sliding it between her nether lips, wetting it with slow grinds of her hips. He drew a sharp breath as raised herself to align his cock to her opening.

He could only moan with Rayla as she slowly sank onto him, taking him inch by inch until he was completely buried inside her. She was warm and wet and so very tight. Already the pressure deep within him was building, gathering, mounting; threatening to break him if he lost focus. But he didn’t endure her incredible blowjob only to spill himself too early. Callum shut his eyes, struggling to regain control of his breathing.

She folded her legs, resting the arches of her feet on his thighs. She ground her hips in languid circles against his, their bodies rolling together in unison. He loved the way her taut body slid against his, the unique slippery friction of skin on skin. Their bodies were slick with sweat and fluids, but they slid together in perfect synchrony.

She cupped his face in both hands and leaned down to give him a searing kiss. There was a distinct tang on her tongue that could only be his own musky taste. She could probably still taste herself too, and it only turned him on even more. He pulled her to him until his form molded against hers.

“Rayla–”

But he didn't have to say it. She already knew the grinding was no longer enough. It wasn’t enough for her either.

He grasped her ass with both hands and urged her to ride him in short, controlled motions. She raised herself halfway off his cock before easing her way down each time. He pushed his hips upwards in a well-timed thrust, and she let out a low moan. She put a hand on the backrest and the other on his chest. She started riding him eagerly, moaning as she bounced on his cock.

He angled his hips up towards her with every bounce. Flesh smacked against flesh. His breathing grew ragged. His pulse thundered in his veins, pleasure building at the core of him. He knew he wouldn’t last with the way her slick walls clung to him with every thrust.

He ran his hands all over her body. Without thinking he lifted one hand and brought it down quickly against her buttocks. The spank rang crisply throughout the room and Rayla cried out, but her cunt clamped down on him impossibly tight.

Oh?

Curious, he did it again on the other cheek and again her sex gripped him like a vise. 

She paused abruptly to stare at him incredulously. “C-Callum..?”

The skin of her ass was quickly reddening to form a matching pair of handprints on either cheek. A devious smile spread across his lips. He loved his memory, but he was always thrilled whenever her discovered something new about her.

And this seemed like a promising discovery.

“You little masochist,” he said, urging her to resume. His smile turned into a mischievous smirk. “You like being spanked, don’t you?”

“What? No, I don—ah!” Her words dissolved into an unintelligible moan when he spanked her again. She tipped her head back. Moans spilled freely from her lips. Rayla faltered in her movements until she stopped entirely.

“Yes, you do. I can feel it. I can feel _you_. You love it,” he ground out through gritted teeth.

Callum surged to his feet, taking her with him. He spun her around to face the desk and gripped her hips. Then, with her angled to him, he buried himself to the hilt in one fluid motion. He retreated until only the tip of his cock was inside her, only to plunge back fully inside her again.

“Cal-uhnnng!”

He mixed in random strikes to her perfect little ass, her back bowing with each firm smack. Not wanting to overdo it, Callum reached around her and found her clit and rubbed it in time as he crashed into her again and again. Cries of pleasure tore from her throat with each rough snap of his hips.

“Callum…oh yes…just like that… I-I think I’m gonna—ungh!”

Sure enough, feminine muscles squeezed his hard shaft in a familiar rhythmic pattern as a powerful orgasm tore through her. But he wasn’t about to relent. He let go of her hips and grabbed her by the elbows, pulling her toward him as he drove deep into her.

This was her second orgasm, and Callum fucked her through it, just the way she loved. Her moans rose in pitch and volume. As sensitive as she was, she was already racing towards her third climax.

Callum flipped her, only to crash them both onto the desk with his member still fully wedged inside her. He hooked her legs over his shoulders and she lifted into him. Her shoulders remained on the table and this new angle allowed him to hit a special spot deep inside her as he pounded into her in long strokes again and again.

His breathing became ragged from exertion. He fell onto his elbows on the desk as he continued to thrust into her. Her hands tangled in his hair; clawed at his back. She captured his lips in a claiming kiss once more. Pressure welled inside him, and he felt pleasure gathering from his toes and chest surging like a charged _fulminis_. He could feel climax zipping through him and he knew there was no stopping it this time.

“Rayla-“ His voice came out in a strangled rasp.

“Inside!” She gasped against his lips. She wrapped her legs around his waist. “I want it inside!”

With the last of his restraint, Callum thrust into her in a broken rhythm. He grunted, his body seizing as he filled her with his seed in long, hot spurts. He shut his eyes as bliss cascaded over him and around him. His chest heaved as he took in air in deep pants.

She followed him over the edge. Her body tensed and then released as her second orgasm tumbled into a third. The world fell away and until all that remained was Rayla. Only Rayla.

He didn’t know how long they stayed in their position, but by the time he regained enough strength to lift his head, Rayla was caressing his neck and back. Her hazy eyes had regained some of their clarity when she opened them to meet his.

With one last lazy kiss, he slowly extricated himself from her. She whimpered from the loss of contact after having him inside her for so long. His softening manhood slipped out of her, still half-erect. Their mixed liquids trickled from her core and down onto the wooden surface of the desk.

Callum walked over to a washbasin at the corner of the room. Clothes and paraphernalia were still scattered all over the floor. He would have to sort those out later. When he returned, she was wearing a sated smile. He gently wiped her clean with a damp washcloth.

“By the way, Opeli left a message for you,” he grinned. “She wants you to wear a dress this year.”

She swatted him playfully as she hopped off the desk and began retrieving her clothes from the floor. “I know, dummy. I was there.”

“I think you’d look good in one,” he mused, stepping into his underwear. “Well, you look good in anything, really.”

“Oh? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re trying to get me to play dress up,” she teased.

Now there was an idea.

“Hmm, I _would_ love to draw you in different outfits.”

Rayla put her top back on. “Tough luck, I’m not wearing a dress.”

“That’s okay, I love to draw you not wearing anything just as much.”

She rolled her eyes, but laughed all the same.

In just her top and panties, she bent to pick up the items on the floor, giving him a clear view of her rear. He could still see redness peeking out from her underwear. When she turned to him, she set down the paper and charcoal on the desk. He noticed the draft of his letter among them.

Somehow it had gotten much easier to remember the right characters.

“My mental block is cured. Thank you, troublemaker,” he said warmly.

“All you needed was a little push. Well then, I guess I can leave you to your–“ she said, laughing and turning away from him, but he caught her wrist and spun her back to him.

“Oh no you don’t. I’ve got over a hundred letters left to write and I believe our deal was: you’ll be my secretary for three days.”

“Was it? Now that doesn’t sound right,” she said, putting her finger on her chin, though the sly grin gave her away.

He pulled her toward him and drew close. “Perfect memory, remember?”

“Nope, not really.”

Callum pulled a slow, simmering smile, and then caressed her bum. “Maybe a good spanking will help you recall?”

Rayla flushed, then smiled. “Maybe it will.”

* * *

A messenger crow arrived for Ibis at the Storm Spire.

Curious. He didn’t get many messages from Katolis these days. This one bore Callum’s seal. Maybe he wanted to learn a new spell?

It began with Callum’s customary lines of introduction: hope this letter finds you in good health, please give my regards to Queen Zubeia and Zym, yes I’m doing my daily mage exercises, your hair looks great today by the way.

_We would like to invite you to the annual Peace Ball to be held in Katolis this year._

_I’ve been meaning to kiss you. Zym and Queen Zubeia too._

_The closer the Peace Ball gets, the hornier I seem to get._

_I think there’s a lot more we can learn about each other in the weeks to come._

_I look forward to your arrival._

_Callum_

Ibis stared at the letter and then slowly set it down. He rubbed at his temples, feeling a headache coming.

The Peace Ball was going to be very odd this year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. If the Xadian writing system has already been explained in canon, I apologize in advance! If it has, I would love to hear about it. I don’t have a copy of Callum’s spellbook nor Through the Moon (and I’m honestly too broke to buy them).
> 
> 2\. I must have written about 15k words across a handful of discarded drafts, before finally settling on this version. This was loosely inspired by a scene at the Moon Nexus, where there are literal slabs of stone with glowing runes. If I remember correctly, it was shown when Rayla sought Lujanne’s advice? Not really sure, but it was definitely early in season 2.
> 
> I even made a Twitter account just so I could ask Aaron Ehasz about the Xadian writing system back in January, but he didn’t reply and I got too shy to ask again… so here we are.
> 
> 3\. Hope you enjoyed! Would love to hear your thoughts on this story.
> 
> More headcanons and process notes [over at Tumblr](https://captainjamba.tumblr.com/private/629685259235164160/tumblr_canJyxVOdnMNJWxpU)!


	2. A Position of Compromise

Rayla could barely sit still all day.

There was a dull, aching throb in her rear from yesterday’s activities in Callum’s office, where he’d spanked her for the first time.

It wasn’t too bad, and the cushion on her seat eased the pain somewhat, but as she sat through the High Council meeting that afternoon, she could only hope that no one noticed her shifting her weight every so often.

She’d barely heard a word thus far. Her attention kept snapping back to Callum, who sat across the table from her and was too engrossed in the discussion to notice her fidgeting.

He’d always been a gentle lover, attentive to her needs, never pushing her, always letting her set the pace. He’d proved time and again that he was perfectly capable of pleasuring her under normal circumstances. But yesterday, he’d shown her a side of him that she hadn’t even known existed, that there was a little more to him – and more to her – than she’d thought.

Surprisingly, she’d liked that side of him. She wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, but she’d liked it.

How did he even know, anyway, when even she didn’t?

_Rayla, I know your body better than you know it yourself._

His words rang clearly in her head and she couldn’t help the tingle that stirred deep inside her. And, as she switched cheeks again, something told her that it wasn’t just the sting in her sore bottom that had her squirming. No, it was her dumb human who seemed perfectly oblivious to the fire he’d ignited in her.

In his defense, they hadn’t had much time to discuss since then. They’d scrambled to finish the last of the invitations last night.

Or at least, _he_ had. She, on the other hand, had blissfully fallen asleep midway through.

Who could blame her? She’d had the energy sapped out of her after yet another round after dinner, and Callum had to let her sleep in this morning just to let her recover.

Say what you will about him, but Callum had stamina. And a big–

“Lady Rayla?”

She snapped out of her reverie to find all eyes on her. She adjusted her posture, as if she could sit any straighter than she already was. “Erm…Sorry, could you repeat that, please?”

“The Tripartite Treaty. Can you help us translate it?” Ezran held up a large scroll.

She felt her cheeks flush. “Yes, of course.”

“Great! Callum will help you,” Ezran grinned. “And as thanks, you can both have as many jelly tarts as you want!”

Rayla smiled back at the young king. After all these years, only his love for jelly tarts rivaled her and Callum’s.

The meeting continued, but Rayla tuned out most of it. Before long, her thoughts had drifted back to yesterday.

Was she really a masochist? It wasn’t that she was unsatisfied when she and Callum did it normally. Quite the opposite, in fact. They were adventurous in the sack and he always found some new way to blow her mind. But yesterday…

Yesterday was different.

She glanced at Callum. _He_ was different. She could tell that he’d held back, afraid of overdoing it, but from what little she’d glimpsed yesterday, her goofy, adorable dork of a prince had a more assertive, more domineering side to him.

And as much as she wanted to deny it, a part of her was eager to see it again, to give more of herself to him.

_Rayla, I know your body better than you know it yourself._

She’d thought he’d meant it literally at the time, but now…

Now his words held a deeper meaning, a dark promise that made her body thrum with excitement.

She could almost feel the impact of his heavy hand on her bum again, the sting of the first blow, and the sweetness of those that followed. Maybe she could argue with him again, just to rile him up. Maybe he would punish her…

Heat suffused her cheeks once again. This was getting out of hand. Callum was right, she _was_ a troublemaker. And though she wasn’t ready to admit it out loud just yet, at least now she knew why. Maybe she should have been surprised at the realization, but she couldn’t say that she was. Not really.

_Rayla, I know your body better than you know it yourself._

He didn’t just know her body. He knew _her_ , inside and out.

She shuffled in her seat, at once trying to relieve the pressure on her butt as well as contain the sudden throb of desire that went through her. Casually, she looked around the table, and thankfully, everyone seemed too immersed in the discussion to pay her any attention.

Everyone, except Callum.

He was watching her with an amused expression, having noticed the way she wriggled in her seat ever so slightly, a glint in his eye and a smirk on his stupid, wonderful lips.

He knew. Oh, he _knew_ what he was doing to her. And he was enjoying it! The bastard!

Rayla averted her eyes, feeling heat creep into her cheeks yet again. How could he get her all hot and bothered with just one look? What happened to the adoraburr that she’d come to know and love? Right now, he was looking at her like a banther would while playing with its food.

Maybe she would have been more annoyed too, if it wasn’t turning her on so much.

She refused to look at him for the rest of the meeting, but she felt his eyes on her from then on, the smugness never leaving his face. When they adjourned for the day, she took Ezran’s cue to stand, jumping at the chance to finally take her weight off of her sore backside.

“Thanks again for agreeing,” Ezran said as he approached her while the rest of the Council filed out. “I– thanks Angelica, Eliza, I’ll sign those later – I know it’s a long document, but as much as I trust _Callum_ ,” he jutted his chin towards Callum, “he’s not really all that well-versed yet with the intricacies of High Elven.”

Rayla nodded in understanding, then stared at Callum just as he reached them. “So what you’re saying is, he gets to be my assistant for today?”

Wide-eyed, Callum looked from Rayla to Ezran, then back to Rayla. “Hm? Sorry I’m _what_ now?“

But Ezran ignored him. “Yep, pretty much. It’s the final draft and I need it by sundown. It’s like Opeli says, history has its eyes on us and I _don’t_ want to go down as the king who–” Ezran turned to Callum, “-unwittingly propositioned three queens at the same time _again_.”

Callum laughed good-naturedly. “Hey, that only happened once! And didn’t I do the jerkface dance in front of everyone to make up for that?”

“Sure, but this is a landmark treaty, and Rayla’s our best translator. Sorry Callum,” Ezran smiled at his brother apologetically.

Callum grinned back. “Fair enough.”

Ez took a deep breath and smiled. “Look around, look how lucky we are to be alive right now. We’re so close, guys. This is going to be the room where it happens next week. The world will never be the same. Just you wait!”

They smiled at him warmly. He really was just a king who wanted to do some good.

“I’ll ask Barius to bring you jelly tarts and some tea.” And with that, Ezran swept out of the room, leaving her alone with Callum.

“Well I guess a royal decree _technically_ supersedes our deal,” Callum sighed as he turned to her, then gave her an elaborate bow. “Milady, today I have the honor to be your obedient servant.”

She rolled her eyes at him, but a giggle bubbled out of her anyway. “Dummy.”

For the life of her, she couldn’t understand how this man could make her laugh no matter the situation. Here they were, about to enter into an unprecedented treaty with Duren and Lux Aurea, and all she could think about was him. Always him.

Sources help her, she sounded every bit like the smitten, lovestruck teenager she once was. She smiled at him fondly. Maybe a part of her still _was_. And who could blame her? It didn’t take much to see that she was still madly, hopelessly, utterly in love with this sappy dork of a prince – _her_ dork of a prince.

Moon and stars, how far gone was she?

“Okay then. I write, you dictate?” Callum unfurled the scroll over what was once the large war table, whistling when the scroll reached the floor with half the roll left, filled with neatly written runes. “This is gonna take a while. Do you wan-“

He was cut off as she went for his lips. She kissed him without preamble, walking him backwards until the back of his legs hit the edge of the table. Rayla fisted her hands in his shirt, keeping him firmly pinned against the wood when he tried to say something.

His shock melted away and he kissed her back eagerly. Feeling him relax, she let go of his shirt, stood on tiptoe, and looped her arms around his shoulders. Callum smiled against her lips as he pulled her closer to him, immediately deepening the kiss.

He tangled a hand at the back of her head, the other on her back keeping her pressed to him. His tongue swiped at her lower lip and she moaned into the heat of his mouth.

Her hands were everywhere. The kiss grew more demanding, more insistent, more intoxicating and suddenly she was struggling to keep up as he threatened to steal the very breath from her lungs. She didn’t care. All she could think about slaking a thirst that only grew with every swipe of his tongue and pull of his lips. 

She kept kissing him. All she could feel was the hard contours of his body molding against her own and-

They were interrupted by a loud gasp. They broke apart abruptly.

“P-pardon me milady. Uh... m-my apologies, Your Highness,” Barius stammered, clearly frozen in shock. “King Ezran, um, the king asked me to bring these to you. I knocked – twice in fact - but…” he trailed off.

Her cheeks flaming, Rayla covered her face with a four-fingered hand. How long had Barius been there? How much had he seen? She doubted she wanted to know the answer.

Callum, meanwhile, was rubbing the back of his neck. “Uh, sorry you had to see that.”

“Don’t worry, Your Highness, I won’t tell the king,” Barius said quickly, then paused before adding, “Or Opeli.”

Callum grinned sheepishly as he took the tray. “Thanks.”

And just as Rayla thought she couldn’t blush any harder, Barius smirked and said, “And should I, ah, tell the guards to knock very _loudly_ before anyone _else_ enters?”

“Oh yes, we will be very busy for the next two hours with, uh, very official business,” said Callum seriously.

“Two whole hours, huh?”

“At least,” he grinned.

Barius, impressed, gave one final nod and strode out of the room.

As soon as he was gone, Rayla smacked Callum on the arm. “I can’t believe you! Now the whole castle will know!”

“Ow! Hey, you’re the one who started this. Plus, he already said he won’t tell anyone.” Callum set the tray aside, then dropped his voice several octaves to a baritone that had butterflies fluttering in her stomach. “Besides, now we can continue.”

The way he stepped close and his mischievous grin were not helping her case.

“We, um, we should really get started on this treaty,” she laughed nervously.

“Mmm, yes, yes we should,” he hummed noncommittally, taking another step closer.

She picked up the scroll from the desk, then turned before he had the chance to tempt her again.

“This Peace Treaty is entered into by–“ she began, but then became acutely aware of the hands that had promptly settled on her waist. “Aren’t you going to write this down?”

“Maybe later. Read it out loud for me.”

She fought down a smile as she started again. “This Peace Treaty is entered into by Her Radiance Queen Janai of Lux Aurea-“

He pressed a chaste kiss to her nape and she tried to ignore the heat that had reignited in her.

“-Her Highness Queen Aanya of Duren-“

His mouth trailed soft kisses along her shoulder, his hot breath scorching against her skin.

“-and His Majesty King Ezran of Katolis.”

“Mhmm,” he nuzzled against her ear, his warm breath tickling the smooth skin of her neck. “Go on.”

“We hold this truth to be self-evident,“ she said as his hands slid along her stomach, “that all life is created equal and mmm…Callum I don’t think I can read with you doing that.”

“Keep going.”

“But you’re not even writing,“ she whined, breathless.

She was facing away from him, but she could practically feel the sneaky grin on his lips as he said, “No, I’m not.”

Then his hand slid down her hips and her bum – traitorous thing that it was – gave another hot throb as he cupped it.

Whether it was from the sting from yesterday or if she was just giddy with anticipation, she didn’t know.

She bit her lip. Maybe both.

“That’s not fair…”

“You heard Ez, he needs this by sundown,” he murmured, even as he sucked lightly on her skin. “Now read.”

His voice had turned into a growl, one that left no room for debate and sent delicious shivers down her spine.

“With the return of Prince Azymondias-“

He started unbuttoning her shirt with deft fingers as he started sprinkling kisses along shoulder again.

“-the kingdoms have herein set their differences aside-“

He slipped one hand under her shirt and warm fingers spreading over the taut muscle of her abdomen as she spoke.

“-f-forgiven the past-“

He chuckled upon noticing that she had forgone her bindings that day. He wasted no time finding her breast and started teasing the soft flesh.

“-and start a n-new era of p-peace-“

He traced the shell of her pointed ear with his tongue, causing her to shiver in his arms.

“-for g-generations to co-ungh!”

Rayla cut herself with her a soft moan. His hand had traveled further south and reached the source of her heat, and he hummed appreciatively at discovering how wet she already was, even through her tights.

“Don’t stop,” he growled against her ear, even as he pinched between a nipple with his thumb and forefinger. “Or I will.”

“But-“

“Read,” was all he said.

Left with little choice, Rayla continued. And so did Callum’s fingers.

“The three k-kingdoms d-denounce the use of D-Dark Magic and h-hereby outlaw its practice...”

She sighed pleasurably as one of his hands slipped under the waistband of her pants, the other massaging her breast, sending sparks of pleasure straight to her center.

“The B-Breach w-will henceforth b-be known a-as ‘The B-Bridge’-”

Rayla gasped when he began tracing her slit.

“-under the m-mutual -protection of the S-Sunfire E-Elves of Lux Aurea–oh!“

Rayla writhed under his touch. Her panties grew damper. Her shirt fell open. Her voice trembled.

“-as well as-as the humans of D-Duren and Katolis-”

He sucked on a pulse point on her neck.

“-will be given safe pass-unngg…“

Her last word dissolved into a series of long moans when Callum found her clit even through her panties, sending a bolt after bolt of pleasure to her core, then spread throughout her body.

He tugged her panties aside and inserted a finger into her, her wetness immediately latching onto his digit. He groaned with her, his finger sinking to the knuckle.

Callum began to pump in and out, quickly building a steady rhythm while his mouth worked her neck and his other hand teased her hardened nipples.

Rayla began rocking her hips to match his pace, grinding against his hand on one side and his hard length on the other.

She could feel herself racing towards release when his hand left her breast, only to join the other at her crotch. She gasped and moaned with every flick to her clit and every stroke of his finger.

Her head was buzzing. Her body heat spiked. Her liquids had already soaked through her panties and were scandalously coating her thighs. She was so near…

“You’re not reading,” came Callum’s voice suddenly. “You don’t want me to stop _now_ , do you?”

Rayla barely heard him through the haze of her own lust. “Callum, I can’t…”

“That’s too bad. What happened to being the better translator?” he murmured against her ear, “And here I thought you liked these kinds of distractions.”

He took her earlobe into his mouth again as she tried, without success, to alleviate the desperate need for more friction.

“Maybe I gave you too much credit.”

A finger grazed over her clit, making her gasp. She was so sensitive. Her body was alive with need and dark desire coursed all throughout her veins.

“Maybe your translation’s not as incredible as I thought, if it can’t handle a little distraction.”

With her sex-fogged brain, she only realized belatedly that he was throwing her very own words back at her, and the irony of it was not lost on Rayla. In fact, it sent a hot flash of pleasure to her core and had her tingling throughout her body.

Only when she felt him withdrawing his fingers did his words finally register. Rayla cursed under her breath. He was _not_ going to leave her high and dry after getting her all hot and bothered.

She made a noise of frustration. “No…”

His voice dripped with an assertiveness that she rarely saw. “Then keep reading.”

She was eager to obey, but how? Her head was swimming and she struggled to even hold up the heavy scroll of the treaty. 

It was then that he chose to land a heavy blow to her ass, his hand landing with a resounding smack. She cried out, as much because of the sheer unexpectedness of it as it was because of the pained pleasure that came roaring back into her still-raw cheeks.

When he gave her ass another firm smack, her back arched reflexively and the scroll fell from her fingers and clattered onto the desk.

Her lips pulled into a simmering smile. She couldn’t deny that she was loving every moment.

With the scroll between her forearms, she gave one last whimper, and read aloud once again.

“The kingdoms shall…hhnggh…c-come to the a-aid of another in-in d-defense of its border-oh!”

“Good, good. Continue,” Callum murmured against her sweat-slicked skin.

“…and ag-against all e-enemies…mmm Callum… n-natural and…yesss…unnatural…”

When he started grinding against her, his fingers in her cunt and his erection against her ass, it was all she could do not to cum right then and there.

“The kingdoms shall ass–uh!”

He had zeroed in on her clit and was rubbing the sensitive nub in slow circles. He was touching all the right places, at the right pressure, and just at the right time. All she could think about was the utter pleasure he was giving her between her legs.

But he would stop if she did, and she was already so close…

“The kingdoms shall–AH! a-assist each other – oh sources – in t-times of ca-calamity–“

Rayla lost track of what she was reading as colorful sparks began to dance across her vision. She chose a random passage, and barely understood the words she was reciting.

She wasn’t even sure if she was still making sense. She didn't care anymore. She just wanted to lose herself in the heat of his mouth and the feel of his callused hand against her inner walls, chasing the wave of pleasure that was building deep within her.

“Ungh…Callum, please…” she pleaded in near delirium.

She gasped and moaned when his fingers began moving between her legs furiously, and immediately the heat that was flaring and radiating throughout her whole body doubled.

Rayla threw her head back onto his shoulder, lost in pleasure as he added a second finger. She rocked her hips in a primitive grind against his thrusting fingers. She raised her arms and wrapped them around his head behind her, her fingers tangling in his hair and digging into his scalp. She tore her mouth from his and let moans flow freely from her lips.

Her pussy clenched and unclenched around his fingers. She squeezed her eyes shut. Her breathing became more and more ragged as she teetered at the edge of her release, and for a moment she was afraid he would pull away at the last second. But his fingers only sped, his mouth nipping at her skin more urgently.

“Come for me,” he commanded, his voice raspy and wonderfully gruff against her ear. The pressure within her peaked and crested.

Rayla came with a scream, simply shattering against him, her fingers in his hair, his name on her lips, the scroll long since forgotten.

She must have been loud, because the next second he tilted her head and slanted another rough kiss across his lips in an effort to silence her. Still, she writhed against him as she rode out a mind-numbing orgasm.

Her chest heaved with every lungful of air she gulped down. He pressed little kisses along her jaw and neck, whispering dirty encouragements against her sweat-slicked skin as he waited patiently for her to recover from bliss. His fingers slowed as her hips bucked uncontrollably in the wake of her release.

Slowly, the world came back to focus. The first thing she became aware of was how she was now splayed in Callum’s lap, boneless and drained of all tension. When her breathing finally returned to normal, she lifted her head and threw him a sated smile over her shoulder.

“That…that was amazing,” she sighed dreamily. “You’re amazing.”

“Well, you did ask me nicely,” Callum laughed and pressed a kiss just under her ear. “But I’m not through with you just yet.”

There was that growl again, the one that, combined with the quick roll of his hips, aroused her to no end. He was impossibly hard. It seemed he just might have enjoyed that as much as she did.

But she didn’t get a chance to think beyond that, because then he clambered onto his feet, taking her with him, and gently nudged her back to the desk.

“Didn’t I say I’ll have you bent over a desk and screaming my name?”

Callum quickly tugged her pants to her knees and she kicked them away as he yanked down his own. He slid his hard length between her nether lips, coating himself in her juices.

“Don’t tease…” she panted.

Rayla gasped as he spanked her, as sudden as it was exhilarating. “You’re not in any _position_ to be making any demands.”

And just to prove his point, he landed another satisfying smack on the other cheek. Her back bowed reflexively, her body still especially sensitive having just come down from an orgasm, but was suddenly on fire again.

Callum used one foot to spread her legs apart as far as they would go, her infernal panties still in the way, and that was all the warning she got before he buried himself completely inside her in one smooth motion.

“Fuck!”

Rayla gasped at the sudden intrusion and instinctively clutched the edge of the desk for support. He withdrew, leaving just the blunt head of his cock, then surged forward with a rough shove of his hips.

“Unggh! Yesss….”

He filled her so deeply, and she relished the incredible feeling of fullness of having him completely inside her. He quickly built a rhythm with quick snaps of his hips, and she pushed back into him.

“Cal-uh! Right there, just like that…”

“You just don’t learn, do you? What _am_ I going to do with you?”

He spanked her once, twice, three times, each smack mixing with the sounds of flesh against flesh. He spanked her again and again, each one more intense than the last, but she only cried out in pained pleasure for more until she found herself sobbing.

Callum stilled his movements, instead choosing to press soothing kisses between her shoulder blades. She writhed and she squirmed, but the hand at the small of her back kept her from seeking more stimulation.

When she didn’t answer, he started withdrawing, threatening to pull out altogether.

“Harder,” she panted, “I want you to fuck me…”

“Louder. What do you want? Tell me, Rayla,” he groaned, his voice a little strained too. “Say it!”

“Harder! Please! Fuck me, Callum!”

“Good girl.”

There came a dark chuckle from behind her before he gripped her hips and slammed home. She cried out, but angled her hips so that he could reach a particular spot she loved even better.

“Ungh! Right-ah! Right there…”

Again and again he repeated it as she matched his rhythm perfectly, until he was crashing into her over and over.

Already she was careening headlong into ecstasy, and when he brushed her clit, rubbing and skating expertly over the bundle of nerves, she forgot how to breathe altogether, but her greedy little body clenched incredibly tight around his cock, refusing to let go.

“Yes! Yes, yesyesyesss…”

Rayla didn’t last long at all, all his teasing coming back in full force as her second orgasm overtook her completely.

Pleasure built and cascaded over her in long, hot waves. Her sex tightened and convulsed around him. Shockwaves rippled all throughout her body. She was only vaguely aware of the moans that escaped her lips as he drove into her repeatedly.

“Love you…” she only barely heard him say, before she felt him pull out abruptly and spill himself onto her back in long, hot spurts.

Rayla couldn’t tell for how long they stayed there, half-naked, panting, and bent over the desk, but when the last of the tremors had subsided and they had finally found enough strength to move, the tea had long since gone cold.

She took stock of her body as she straightened. The first thing she noticed was the way her ass still stung, and if she looked in a mirror, she was sure she’d find freshly made red marks there. She would be definitely feeling those tomorrow.

She couldn’t also help but notice the way her sex still tingled and throbbed, still a little swollen, still a little damp.

She was still a little light-headed, too, and Callum had to support her as she walked over to a chair.

Sources, just what had he done to her?

She elected not to sit, knowing she couldn’t put any weight on her rear anyway. Instead, she leaned on the chair for support.

Callum crouched, pulled out a container from his satchel, and applied a generous amount of mint-scented ointment onto one cheek, then the other. After that he wordlessly took a small piece of cloth, cast a quick spell to wet it, and ran it over the remnants of his release on her back. He spun her and did the same to her mound and groin.

She sighed pleasurably. The way he cleaned her was soothing, almost reverent in his touch, and if Rayla weren’t standing she could have very well fallen asleep by now.

He pressed a light kiss her navel as he finished, and then wiped himself down as she tugged her tights back into place. Once dressed, she threw her arms over her head and stretched, working out the kinks in her back and shoulders.

“Are you ok?” he murmured, gathering her into his arms. She looked up at him. His brow was knitted with concern, and his lips slightly tilted downward. She knew that look – he was on the verge of apologizing and, “Sorry I got carried away,” he said, right on cue.

She giggled. Now _there_ was the adoraburr Callum she knew.

“S’okay, I did too. And it’s not too bad, and that cream is helping already,” she reassured as she clasped her hands behind her back. “Besides, I think I really might be a masochist,” she grinned. “Might.”

His eyes lit up and he gave her a weak smile. “Yeah?”

“Yes, and you, mister, might have something of a dom in you.”

He flushed. “That’s not-“

“Don’t bother denying it. I won't be able to sit properly for days. And there’s gonna be no hiding the hickeys on my neck.”

“Okay, maybe I _did_ like it a little. You’ll tell me if it’s too much though, right?”

“Of course, silly.” She took his face in her hands and smiled at him warmly. “I love you, Callum. And I trust you completely.”

He gave her a genuine smile. “I love you, too, troublemaker.”

She placed her cheek on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. He rested his cheek on her head, right between her horns. They swayed together to imaginary music, a slow, familiar melody they once danced to years ago.

“Hey Rayla,” Callum said after a while.

“Mmm?”

“How do you feel about being tied up?”

* * *

Although Xadia was under Queen Zubeia's protection, it was still comprised of autonomous kingdoms, who were at a stalemate waiting to see which one would be the first to sign the most important peace treaty in history. Once Lux Aurea signed, however, the Silvergrove, the Storm Spire, and the rest of Xadia were sure to follow.

It would surely be a momentous event that would no doubt change the world forever.

However…

The treaty was smudged in several places and stained by liquids he’d rather not name. The Katolian translation beside it was unfinished, hastily written, and looked like it would have been in better condition if Bait himself had written it.

Ezran stared long and hard at the couple standing before him, who somehow managed to look everywhere around the room except at him.

“Well? What do you have to say for yourselves?”

“We could recreate it with _historia viventem_?“ Callum offered, still avoiding Ez’s gaze.

“No!” Rayla blurted out with a frantic, slightly panicked look. Both men turned to her. She coughed, regaining some of her composure. “I mean, I don’t think that would be a very good idea.”

“What? Why?”

“ _Because_ ,” she said through gritted teeth, “Aanya and Janai expect a position of _compromise_ , not a compromising position.”

“You mean-“

“ _Yes_!” she hissed.

“I can cast it just for myself though, right?”

“No! Just use your perfect memory.”

“But I didn’t exactly get a chance to read it…”

“ _Moon and stars_ , Callum. I will bind myself if you even mention-“

Ez shook his head. Is this what Opeli had to deal with on a daily basis? That woman deserved a raise. Sainthood, even.

Sighing, the young king reclined in his chair.

He needed a jelly tart. Lots of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. That’s all for this fic, folks! Poor Barius. Poor Ezran. But most of all, poor Opeli. 
> 
> 2\. Did you catch all eight Hamilton references in there?
> 
> ’Hamilton’ was playing Nonstop (lol sorry, couldn't resist) while I was still developing this story. At least, it was, until it was completely and unceremoniously displaced by [The End of All Things](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJYtJLckjHU), which has been playing endlessly on repeat ever since I read [@Jelly’s fic by the same title](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26857384), which in turn just simply shattered my writer’s block. This is the fastest I’ve ever written…well, anything, actually.
> 
> Look, it’s so good I could gush about it for days and I did a fic study of it and all but I’m just gonna say that it’s one of my favorite TDP fics, if not my outright favorite. So if you haven’t yet, get outta here and give it a read!
> 
> Just don’t tell her how much of a fan I am. Remember, snitches get stitches.
> 
> Just kidding. Jelly’s gonna find out any minute (I’m sure she already knows). Okay, I swear that was my last Hamilton reference – I just had to do it, uh, One Last Time.
> 
> 3\. Process notes [over at Tumblr](https://captainjamba.tumblr.com/post/632276879229976576/title-an-exercise-in-memory-chapter-two)!


End file.
